Review Xiaomi Mi MIX 3: slider and full screen will do?

Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 The 25 October 2018 was officially presented in China. In the following hours a short one has also come out video, where we have commented the first impressions about this smartphone. After a few months we bring you, therefore, the Full review of the new sample of the Mix series, which this year has decided to impress everyone with its design. However, the philosophy of the brand has not changed, although the lines have been slightly modified, to make room for an even more immersive screen. The solution adopted to achieve a considerably important screen-to-body ratio is, in fact, the manual slider.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 Review

Unboxing

The sales package is very similar, aesthetically, to that used for the commercialization of Xiaomi Mi MIX 2s, finding within it:

Xiaomi Mi MIX 3;

thank you letter from Lei Jun;

USB / USB Type-C cable;

wall power supply with 4.0 + Quick Charge support;

wireless charging base, at 10W;

pin for the SIM slot;

protective plastic cover;

USB Type-C adapter / mini jack 3.5 m.

Constructive quality

From a constructive point of view, this smartphone has a completely built back shell ceramic, maintaining the traditional glossy surface typical of all the models of the MIX series. The dimensions general of this product are of 157.89 74.69 x x 8.46 mm, With a weight overall 218 grams. The entire perimeter frame, on the other hand, is made of metal, also in this case with a glossy finish.

In everyday use the device is quite slippery and, on both the back and the front, several impressions remain impressed.

The plastic bands, which guarantee better reception of the antennas, have been positioned at the bottom and along the two upper ends of the body, perfectly integrating with the metal surface. The whole structure, however, is very solid and well-assembled, without any particular creaking or impoverishment. The frames in fact, the display is really small, with the lower edge that no longer contains the front camera. There dual-chamber front is located on the slider, which can be activated manually at any time. Within this surface there is also the headset capsule and the single flash LED.

When you do not use the sliding mechanism, it is also possible to talk on the phone, thanks to a further hole on the upper edge. At his side are the space proximity and brightness sensors, as well as a Notification LED White.

Design

Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 is equipped with a button on the right frame ON / OFF and of volume balance. On the opposite side, however, we find the trolley for the insertion of well 2 nano SIM, without the possibility of being able to insert an additional micro SD card.

Along the upper surface only the main microphone, since the infrared sensor has not been inserted on this model. Inferiormente we can appreciate, instead, the presence of two main grids, one containing the secondary microphone and the other one system speaker. In a central position we have, then, the entrance USB Type-C.

The MIX logo, in gold color, stands out from the back. At the top we find, instead, the double photographic module and the biometric sensor. The first of these two components protrudes about one millimeter compared to the profile of the device, which is why it would be useful to use one cover protective, to eliminate this problem. The fingerprint sensor, on the other hand, is almost flush with the body.

Display

Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 has been designed to offer a very immersive full-screen view. In fact, on this model, we find a unit from well 6.39 diagonal inches, with technology OLED, resolution Full HD + (2340 x 1080 pixels) and density of 403 ppi. The idea of ​​using a manual slider to increase the extension of the display was a winner, because the visual impact is remarkable. Despite this aspect, there are still some frames, even if they have been reduced almost to the minimum terms.

The panel has a fairly satisfactory contrast, showing good color rendering and colors well balanced. The brightness of the display, then, can certainly compete with the best OLED screens on the smartphone market. Although the color temperature can be changed, i Bianchi they are quite faithful and the blacks turn out to be deep. There are, however, only two fundamental problems: i viewing angles touch the sufficiency and the colors themselves turn when you tilt the smartphone, showing an annoying rainbow effect.

Il oleophobic treatment of the front panel is not of high level, releasing several fingerprints on its surface.

Le performance offered by this sector are of the highest level, showing a fluidity and speed of the processes absolutely in line with the most common top of the range on the market. You will not be able to register any particular problems in daily operation, even though the device still mounts a software version designed for the Chinese territory.

Thanks to the processor, thrifty from the energetic point of view, you will never feel an overheating of the unit, which in moments of greater stress will return only a slight warmth on its back. All the games on the Play Store, in fact, are able to shoot as smoothly as possible, even with the likes of Real Racing 3 e PUBG.

Software

On this device we find a customization of the well known Android interface. There MIUI 10, based on Android 9 Pie, is synonymous with great stability, making navigation within all of their devices pleasant. In our case the installed ROM is the Chinese one, although Global came out a few days ago. The procedures for unlocking the Bootloader are, in fact, quite long, which is why you will find a further analysis of the international version of the pages on our site.

The main features of this version are now known, with the possibility of being able to exploit the Dual Apps, the creation of a second space and the app Safety. All the other exclusive features refer not so much to the full-screen gestures, present on practically all the latest Xiaomi devices, as for the personalization of the slider. When opening the mechanism it is possible to decide which application to open by default, being able to choose between two other options. The first of these provides the automatic opening of the camera, for the shot of a selfie, while the second activates the display of a series of shortcuts, including the date and the calculator.

Even if you have a smartphone with Chinese ROM, you will not have any problems installing all of them Google services. You should only have the foresight to set the smartphone well, to receive all notifications. This type of issues, however, are to be referred exclusively in relation to this version.

Cameras

The back profile of this smartphone provides for the presence of well two photographic sensors, identical to those already mounted on Mi MIX 2s. The first camera mounts a sensor Sony IMX363 da 12 mega-pixels, with optical stabilization at 4 axes and focal opening f / 1.8. Even the second sensor and from 12 mega-pixels, with opening f / 2.4 e 2X optical zoom.

The section front it is instead composed of a double photographic module from 24 + 2 mega-pixel. In this case, the smallest sensor is used for the depth of field.

in daytime hours the performances are of good quality, always showing faithful colors and well balanced. The details are reproduced satisfactorily, even in conditions of light that are not too favorable. The system is also equipped with aartificial intelligence able to recognize a good set of predefined scenes, thus improving the final result. Fortunately, this function is not invasive, because it modifies only the contrast slightly, returning more vivid colors. THE'HDRHowever, it is not as useful as I would have expected. The latter provides some improvements when there are difficult situations from the point of view of ambient light, although not convincing for the type of work done. The images tend, in fact, to be yellowed, as if a particular filter were present.

With the second sensor you can enjoy using one 2X optical zoom, which works very well and offers good quality, in line with expectations.

HDR

Zoom 2X

HDR

Zoom 2X

Zoom 2X

HDR

HDR

HDR

Zoom 2X

AI active

Zoom 2X

AI active

HDR

HDR

HDR

HDR

At sunset, the situation changes. With the tip and shoot you notice a not optimal lighting management, burning the most illuminated areas. A behavior like this leads to having very mixed colors, which does not make the shot nice. Everything changes, however, with the night mode developed by Xiaomi, which completely transforms the quality of the image. The sources of light are managed, in fact, much better, ensuring greater clarity and photographic noise significantly lower in absolute terms. The results, in short, seem to come from two different smartphones.

The night mode also works with the 2X optical zoom, greatly improving the final result.

Night mode

Night mode

Night mode

Night mode

Night mode

Night mode

Night mode

Night mode

Zoom 2X

Zoom 2X - Night mode

Night mode

Night mode

Night mode

Night mode

Night mode

Night mode

By activating the manual slider, you can take advantage of the whole front photographic form. The two cameras on its surface allow you to enjoy good shots during the day, while often offering some overexposure on the background image. The subject in the foreground is never out of focus and the quality is good. Surely there are smartphones that, from this point of view, behave slightly better, especially for the number of details shown on the photo. Taking advantage of the function HDR frontal, however, it is possible to partially solve the problem related to the overexposure of the background, making the right changes.

Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 also presents a bokeh mode satisfactory, because it manages to cut out quite well the subject in the foreground, both during the day and at night.

Front HDR

Front HDR

Front HDR

On both sides of the device we find the LED flash units, with the rear frame that offers a Dual Tone LED flash. When the night takes over, the use of this function can be useful, because the diffused light is not burned by the system, managing to manage the shutter speed well. At the front the unit positioned in the slider is good, ensuring fairly well balanced colors, even in the most difficult situations.

Front flash

I videofinally, they can be recorded at a maximum resolution 4K is 60 fps. Stabilization is really good with this configuration, although with movies in 1080p is 60 fps it is not as good as you would expect. One point that does not differ our judgment is about automatic focusing (Dual PDAF), because it returns in all cases a pleasant fluidity during the shot.

Connettività

As regards the connectivity, on Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 we find almost everything we need. The smartphone has a module Wi-Fi ac Dual Band more than enough coverage, because it manages to offer discrete performance even in the most difficult parts of the house. In external, you can rely on connectivity instead LTE, with 20 band included. Through the 4G you will be able to navigate, in fact, in the places where usually devices are struggling to intercept the signal, without ever losing your connection.

The smartphone consists of other modules, like the Bluetooth 5.0, the dual frequency GPS L1 + L5, GLONASS / Beidou / Galileo / QZSS, USB Type-C 2.0 e NFC. All these components are of a high standard, offering complete and efficient connectivity.

Release systems

Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 features two basic unlocking systems: biometric sensor e face recognition. The first of these two really works very well, showing itself as one of the fastest on the smartphone market. As soon as our finger touches the surface of the sensor, the release is immediate. As for the second system, however, the times are longer. The activation of the manual slider allows the front photographic section to see our face, but the actual procedure that will take us directly to the home will require a few moments too long.

The biometric sensor does not suffer from changes in light, but generally the facial breakouts with this same system have some problems in the operation in the dark. On Xiaomi Mi MIX 3, however, the number of failures during the evening hours is very low, showing a high accuracy.

Audio & Telephone

The smartphone does not present astereo audio and this factor could penalize it compared to the competition. The only active source is the one located at the bottom of the device, where we find it speaker of system. There quality shown by this unit, however, does not fully satisfy, because the sound is quite flat and devoid of depth, with basses almost completely absent. The situation improves significantly with its own earphones, also being able to choose between different customized equalization parameters. It is good to remember that the hole mini jack for headphones is not present, so you will have to use the appropriate adapter supplied in the package.

During a normal call voice you will not have any problem connecting or disturbing audio, being able to converse with your interlocutor in a clear and clean. The sound is quite thick and does not appear to be metallic.

Autonomy

La battery mounted on Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 is a unit from 3200 mAh. This news had initially aroused some suspicion. In fact, the proposed amperage is not perfectly in line with that used by other top of the range. In this case, however, MIUI almost miracles, managing to conclude well 17 hours of continuous use with 6 Hours and 30 Minute Screen On. Moreover, during this test I used the device mainly for i companyweb browsing, the visualization of some content on Youtube and a few hours of play on Brawl Stars.

Mi MIX 3 is enabled for charging Quick Charge 4.0 +, which allows you to switch from 10 to 100% in approx 1 20 hours and minutes. The Chinese company also supplied a wireless charging base, a 10W. With the use of this object the device heats up slightly more, remaining equally within the guard limits.

conclusions

This Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 is currently sold on Honorbuy at around 500 euros, in the Chinese variant. Going to search better within the same site, you can also see, however, the version with international firmware, which at this time is not yet on sale. The Global ROM should arrive on European territory in a few days, probably already from the 9 January, even if the smartphone works well already, showing performance from true top of the range.

The slider is one of those features that we will not see in future smartphones, but on Mi MIX 3 is present and works well. Although little has been used, the mechanism has always remained solid and precise, offering the same resistance shown at the beginning.

If in Italy it should be around the 600 €, it could become very interesting for different users. Who wants to stand out, while not giving up performance, would certainly be led to the purchase of a Mi MIX 3, because for value for money is one of the best in this price range.

This blog is not a newspaper as it is updated without any periodicity. It can not therefore be considered an editorial product under the 62 law of 7.03.2001

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